


You Give Me Feelings That I Adore

by Memories_of_the_Shadows



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Makeup, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-19 11:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22710286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memories_of_the_Shadows/pseuds/Memories_of_the_Shadows
Summary: Sometimes, new experiences can bring people together in the best of ways.
Relationships: Lavender Brown/Hermione Granger
Comments: 13
Kudos: 47





	You Give Me Feelings That I Adore

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CarolCunha7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarolCunha7/gifts).



> Title is from "Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat.
> 
> I do not consent to my work being hosted on any unofficial apps, especially any with ad revenue and subscription services, or any website other than ao3 unless I personally cross-posted a work.

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Harry and Ron had both begged off the Hogsmeade weekend--Ron because he was still coming to terms with the fact that Hermione had broken up with him, and Harry because getting swarmed by reporters the last time he stepped foot out of the castle had truly soured the experience for him--so getting invited to spend the day with Lavender, Parvati, Padma, and Ginny seemed like a good way to get out of the castle and think about other things than schoolwork for a change. An eighth year had been a dream come true right up until Hermione was forcibly reintroduced to the idea of homework after a year on the run. She has a bit more sympathy for Harry and Ron’s more slacker-ish tendencies now even if she still won’t let them get away with it.

Getting pulled into ‘Ceruse’s’ was not part of the plan but Hermione should have guessed that at least Lavender and Parvati would want to stop by the makeup shop. At first, she thinks it’ll be quick, or that at least Ginny and Padma will stick around her but no such luck. Hermione is left trailing after them catching but one word in ten and wondering if this is how it feels to be at the bottom of a class she didn’t know she was taking. It doesn’t help that whenever she looks up Lavender seems to be watching her intensely, no matter how easily she balances the conversation around her. Like she was born to talk, and, well Lavender does have the kind of voice Hermione could listen to for hours.

Even Ginny--who she _knows_ only wears makeup on special occasions--seems to be contributing to the conversation although she seems to be using the words “skincare” and “curly hair” more than “lipstick” or “eyeliner”; two things Hermione only really knows of in passing.

(The Yule Ball is the last time Hermione can remember doing anything more than using chapstick and even that was mostly facilitated by a rabid Lavender who has a wicked petrification spell and a quicker wand hand than Hermione would have given her credit for before then. At least it’s something Hermione had asked for. Apparently she squirms too much and Lavender had had enough after the fourth straight line turned into a squiggle.)

The others are comparing what looks like lipstick colors--why oh why is it on their hands?--when Lavender zeros in on Hermione, a bright smile on her face and three tubes in her outstretched hand. “Hermione! Which color do you think is best?”

“Uh,” Hermione says and this trip is feeling more and more like her third year defense exams. All respect to the dead, but Hermione never quite forgave Professor Lupin for setting that exam. Her eyes dart wildly between the three choices--a pale pink, a red so dark it almost looks purple, and beige--and she bites her lip.

“Hey, it’s fine, Hermione, you don’t have to pick. Why don’t we stop by the bookstore next?” Ginny says, patting her arm. Padma, who had been looking a little strained even though she kept up with the others much better than Hermione, perks up.

“I heard they got the newest charms journal in just yesterday!” she hisses to her sister, who rolls her eyes but nods.

Hermione wants nothing more than to leave ‘Ceruse’s’ and get back into the real world but the way Lavender’s face falls just slightly makes her remember that she’s faced down everything else the world has thrown at her, surely she can pick from three colors? (It has nothing at all to do with the fact that disappointing Lavender feels rather like kicking a bunny. She _knows_ they can be mean but Merlin if they aren’t cute enough to make you forget it.)

“Uh, that would be great Ginny. But first, Lavender, I think I like the red?” Let them think it’s house pride--Padma certainly seems to, from her snort--but Hermione knows it’s because of the purple. A color she has grown to appreciate far more in recent times as she refuses to meet Lavender’s gleeful violet eyes.

“Oh!” Lavender sounds ecstatic and Hermione hopes she’s not blushing. “It would look fantastic on you, too. Let me put it on you?”

Being Lavender’s palate for the day is not exactly what Hermione had planned when she left the castle today, but she’s still saying yes faster than Ginny can say no. Ginny must remember some of Hermione’s more choice words on the subject because her best girl friend is staring at her suspiciously.

“Wonderful! Now pretend like you’re going to kiss me and for Delphi’s sake Hermione, stay still. Don’t make me petrify you again.” Hermione fights the instinct to melt into Lavender’s careful, sure touch and tries not to smack her lips when Lavender is done and beaming with happiness. Hermione smiles helplessly back and tries to mentally ‘finite’ the spontaneous ‘rictumsempra’ that’s taken up residence in her stomach at the thought of kissing Lavender.

* * *

The thing is, Hermione _does_ like it. She hadn’t expected it, doesn’t really know what to do with the knowledge either, but Lavender was right. It does look good on her. The double-takes and compliments from everyone she passes boosts her mood all day.

But it’s time to sleep and Hermione has no idea how to get it off now.

She’s tried splashing water, wiping at it with a towel, and even ‘finite’ on the off chance that it was a spell. Even a last ditch ‘scourgify’ only has her coughing up bubbles.

After almost an hour, Hermione is about ready to just accept her new lip color for life and go to sleep when Lavender stumbles into the dormitory bathroom hair mussed and still half-asleep, mumbling about teeth. Hermione kind of wants to hide under her pillow at how much she likes the image.

Lavender is just awake enough to start brushing her teeth when she notices Hermione and starts badly like she’s just noticed Hermione is there. Even the ear-piercing little shriek she lets out is cute.

(Hermione is in so much trouble and she can’t even blame Harry for it this time.)

“‘Mione, wha-- why are you up? Are you reading in the bathroom?” Lavender manages to only slur the first part, and Hermione wishes that that wasn’t a valid question or something that Lavender pulled out of thin air. It’s just, the lighting in the bathroom is better than a ‘lumos’ under the covers and she doesn’t feel quite as much like an annoyance to her roommates.

“Not tonight.” Hermione clears her throat when Lavender squints at her suspiciously. Lavender’s brown hair is sticking up on one side and that pesky ‘rictumsempra’ is back. (This could have all been sorted _years_ ago if she’d been self-aware enough to realize that thinking about a girl all the time and wanting to touch her and thinking she’s really very pretty even when she’s drooling on her homework does not necessarily mean that she just wants to be friends and that she actually probably has a crush on said girl. Poor Ron never stood a chance.) “I, uh, I can’t get it off.”

“Get what off?” Lavender asks, confusion and concern edging into the sleep deprivation. Hermione flushes and waves wildly at her face because there’s no way she’s going to verbally admit that she can’t figure out how to get lipstick off. It takes Lavender a second but she’s much better at charades than Hermione is so that’s good. “Oh. Oh! Sorry, darling, I should have remembered that.”

Hermione is going to have heart failure if Lavender calls her ‘darling’ one more time. Lavender digs around her overloaded sink while Hermione wheezes. She has a little more sympathy for little Ginny and her misguided and hopeless crush on Harry now. “Ah ha! Come here, sweetheart, let’s get that off you.” Hermione was wrong. ‘Sweetheart’ is worse than ‘darling’. Still, she manages to stumble over without dying or embarrassing herself so she’s doing much better than she thought she would.

The potion that Lavender puts on her washcloth smells sharp and herbal, and it tingles pleasantly on her lips for a moment. Hermione stares into Lavender’s bleary, half-lidded eyes and wonders if the other woman knows she’s stroking Hermione’s lip absently. Really, she doesn’t want her to stop, but they both need sleep and Hermione had been really concerned about the lipstick not coming off. It feels really far away, but surely _Lavender_ doesn’t mean the gesture to be anything like Hermione wants it to mean.

When she pulls away to look in the mirror, her face is back to normal except for the fiery blush she can’t really do anything about. Lavender’s pulled away already and has a mouthful of suds when Hermione looks back at her.

Hermione touches her lip where Lavender’s finger had been and her blush feels ten times hotter.

“What was that potion?” she asks, just to distract herself from her crush. By talking to her crush. (She’ll leave strategy to Ron next time. Clearly it’s not her strong suit.)

Lavender waves her wand and the suds are gone, her teeth sparkling when she grins lopsidedly at Hermione, her scar--which is normally not that noticeable, but Hermione can’t seem to look above Lavender’s pouty, full lips without a dramatic cat’s eye eyeliner to focus on no matter how pretty her eyes are--pulling her mouth to one side. “It’s my own design. I’m going to release my own line after we graduate. You can use it to get make-up off as well as clean your face.”

It’s been so long since Hermione has thought seriously about what she wants to do after Hogwarts. Honestly, she almost feels like graduation will never come, and she might even be okay with that. The world outside is big and so very often _wrong_ in ways she’s had no luck changing so far. Hogwarts--even after the invasion and the Death Eater occupation has left its scars--is _safe_. Hearing Lavender be so cheerful and certain about her future gives Hermione a peculiar case of anxiety over her friend and at the same time some hope that _she_ will figure something out too.

She’s tongue-tied and tired but she still manages to force out, “wow! That’s so impressive.” She winces at how breathy it sounds, and she remembers that the last time she sounded like _that_ it was over Lockhart, and that just knots up her stomach even more. (She hates that she could have been so wrong about him, so dazzled that she couldn’t even see the inconsistencies that are obvious now. And what if she’s wrong again? Her track record hasn’t been the greatest in people issues. She’d much rather have a book than try to sort out who means well versus who is actually flirting. Or if they’re actually evil. Although… seven years of sharing a dorm with Lavender lays some pretty good evidence that the only evil thing about her is how she always manages to miss the laundry basket.)

“If you’re saying that, it must be true,” Lavender says, with another lopsided smile that sends shivers down Hermione’s spine. Lavender does something complicated and arcane with her face and some type of lotion, before turning back towards the door. “Good night, Hermione. Today was… really fun.”

That pause would have once sounded dismissive and judgemental to Hermione no matter who said it and how they meant it, but coming from Lavender--complete with a wistful-sounding sigh and a lingering glance back--and with Hermione’s extensive experience around people with crushes on her best friend, it makes her a little giddy and reckless. “Lavender, wait!” There’s _possibility_ in that little cliched move, and Hermione really _wants_ that to mean something. Ron is always telling her that she’s as stubborn as a dragon and twice as scary, so any hope is something she’s going to go full Gryffindor towards until she has proof one way or the other.

Lavender stops, her eyes wide and she turns around, pulling on a loose strand of hair. Hermione nervously jogs over to her, hands twisting around themselves.

“I-- uh, I had a lot of fun today, too. Maybe we could do it again? Next Hogsmeade weekend?” Hermione bites her lip, this is why she normally lets other people approach her for dates. Not that that’s worked out very well in the past, nothing against Viktor. Or Ron. _Everything_ against McLaggen. Still, it’s _Lavender_ , surely after seven years in the same dorm she knows what Hermione means.

“Oh, sure, that sounds brilliant! You’ll talk to Ginny and I’ll talk to Pav, then?” She does _not_ know, or she’s being deliberately obtuse. Hermione wants to groan in frustration.

“No! I mean, yes, sure I’ll talk to Ginny,” Hermione is going to do nothing of the sort, “but I was hoping… you see… arggh!” Words have failed her. Maybe she should write an essay and leave it on Lavender’s pillow, like some sort of creepy secret admirer only Hermione is pretty sure that no one else is going around leaving essays on people’s pillows as a means of confessions. Maybe if they were in Ravenclaw.

“Hermione…” Lavender trails off, a confused look on her face, fairly similar to the one that she had when she walked in. Hermione wonders how many brain cells she’ll lose if she knocks herself unconscious on the sink. Would it be few enough to be worth it? Harry would approve of it, she thinks suddenly, and immediately writes off the idea as a _bad_ one.

“Yes?” Playing dumb isn’t her strong suit, but apparently neither is asking someone on a date.

“Are you… Hermione, are you asking me on a date?” There’s a bit of a squeak on the end that Hermione feels extremely fond of underneath all that instant terror.

“Is it working?” Hermione’s voice hasn’t been this high since first year. She wants it to work like she wants that O+ on all her NEWTs. But this is feeling more like that nightmare she keeps having about Professor Lupin proctoring her DADA NEWT, the one where she fails it miserably.

Lavender-- _Lavender_! who actively spelled Hermione’s face imperturbable for the Yule Ball to keep her from touching it--pulls on her lip nervously. “Oh thank Lady Magic, yes it’s working!” Hermione can feel her muscles strain, she never smiles this widely, but Lavender said yes! She said _yes_ , to Hermione! “I thought you just didn’t realise how much I was flirting with you, I’ve been trying to work up the courage to ask for a while, Ron said I should just go for it, but you’re much classier than he is and I didn’t think it would work…”

“Wait, you were _flirting_ with me?” That’s news to Hermione. “You were going to ask _me_ out?”

“Yes?” Lavender pulls on her bottom lip again. “But you’ve beaten me to it, and darling, I’m so happy, it would have taken me at least another week or so to build up to it.”

Hermione hasn’t felt this dumbfounded since--well, since ‘Ceruse’s’, but before that it had been quite a long time--and she blushes bright and hot at the thought. “Do-you-think-I-can-kiss-you?” comes out in a tangled rush, her stomach doing an outright jig at the thought.

Lavender blushes too, a bright smile on her face, and she nods.

The kiss isn’t technically perfect, it would never receive an O+ on an exam, Hermione doesn’t have the best angle of entry calculated yet, and Lavender doesn’t have a moment to close her mouth before it happens, but it’s perfect for them, for their first kiss and Hermione’s going to remember it forever.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this entire premise comes from a real thing, that actually happened to me, because y'all, I _suck_ at make-up. Only it didn't end in a new relationship for me, and it wasn't the friend who put the lipstick on me that helped me get it off XD. Eight hours with bright purple lips. Eight. Hours. So when I was trying to think of a premise for Lavmione, I kept coming back to that experience and I realized how perfect it would be for them.
> 
> CarolCunha7, I really hope that you like this, even though it took me an entire year. You're amazing.
> 
> I really hope that everyone else likes this too, and everyone who celebrates it, have a Happy Valentine's Day!


End file.
